The Seven
The Seven (also known as the God of Seven, the Seven-Faced God, or the New Gods) is the deity of the Faith of the Seven, the dominant religion of the Seven Kingdoms. The Seven-in-One God Though the Faith teaches that there is a single deity, it has seven "aspects" or "faces". For this reason, the deity is often referred to as the "Seven-faced God". In practice, many devotees will refer to the aspects as "Gods" plural, though priests of the Faith will attempt to stress the theological nuance to their followers that there is indeed only one God, the "Seven-in-One" deity. This has not stopped the commonly heard exclamation "Gods be good!" from being used pervasively throughout the Seven Kingdoms. The Seven are referred to as "the New Gods" or "New God" to distinguish them from the Old Gods of the Forest worshiped by the First Men.Complete Guide to Westeros: "The Old Gods and the New" According to tradition, the Seven manifested themselves to the Andals, the inhabitants of the Hills of Andalos in the continent of Essos, six thousand years before the War of the Five Kings. Soon after, the Andal Invasion of Westeros began."Complete Guide to Westeros: "The Old Gods and the New" Aspects Each of the Seven aspects symbolizes a different part of life and are prayed to for different purposes. They are known as the Father, the Mother, the Maiden, the Crone, the Warrior, the Smith, and the Stranger. . From left to right: the Crone (holding a lantern), the Warrior (holding swords), the Mother (with open arms of mercy), the Father (holding scales of justice), the Maiden (a nude young woman), the Smith (at lower right facing away from the camera, but visibly holding a blacksmith's hammer), and the Stranger (at lower left, not clearly visible; the Stranger represents death and the unknown, so his statue faces away from the room, towards the wall).]] The Father The Father represents divine justice, and judges the souls of the dead. The Mother The Mother represents mercy, peace, fertility, and childbirth. She is sometimes referred to as "the strength of women". Apart from human fertility, she also blesses crops with bountiful harvests. The hymn Gentle Mother, Font of Mercy is dedicated to Her praise. The Maiden The Maiden represents purity, innocence, love, and beauty. She protects the chastity of virgins, as well as protecting the innocent in general. The Crone The Crone represents wisdom and foresight. She is represented carrying a lantern. Sometimes She is depicted as blindfolded. The Warrior The Warrior represents strength and courage in battle. The Smith The Smith represents creation and craftsmanship. Grants workers the strength to continue their labors. The Stranger The Stranger represents death and the unknown. It is rarely prayed to. The Stranger is served by an all-female monastic order, the Silent Sisters, who are tasked with preparing the bodies of the dead for funerals. The Stranger is depicted as neither male nor female, thus the number of male and female aspects within the godhead is equal: three males (Father, Warrior, Smith), three females (Maiden, Mother, Crone), and one who is neither. Unlike the other aspects which are represented as human figures in artwork, because the Stranger represents the unknown it is often portrayed in a wide variety of forms, often frightening. Sometimes it is represented as a skeletal figure, or a non-human creature possessing various animalistic features. Because the Stranger represents both death and the unknown, it is also often depicted (in paintings or statues) as facing away from the viewer, so its face cannot be seen. The statue of the Stranger in the Great Sept of Baelor is faced towards the wall behind it, away from the room. This statue depicts the Stranger as a gaunt figure, holding a scythe. The Stranger can also be depicted with its hair hanging down over the front of its head instead of the back, obscuring its face. Quotes Gallery TheSevenTheFather.png|The Father TheSevenTheMother.png|The Mother TheSevenTheMaiden.png|The Maiden TheSevenTheCrone.png|The Crone TheSevenTheWarrior.png|The Warrior TheSevenTheSmith.png|The Smith TheSevenTheStranger.png|The Stranger Got0304-0877.jpg|Sculptures of the Father (right) and the Mother (left) in the Great Sept of Baelor Sept Statue Concept Art.jpg|Concept art of the statues of the Seven (L-R: Stranger, Crone, Smith) in the Great Sept. The Seven statues.jpg|Statues of The Seven in "The North Remembers" HL5 Seven Pointed Star the Seven with the Mother.png HL5 Seven Pointed Star the Seven with the Smith.png HL5 Seven Pointed Star The Stranger.png References fr:Sept de:Die Sieben pt-br:Os Sete Seven Category:Faith of the Seven Seven, The